Whether you're a clueless 14-year-old "white girl" or a lauded football star, offhand comedic bits about committing acts of terrorism don't land well with authorities. Take, for example, 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith who was arrested on Sunday at LAX after making a statement about having a bomb. He made the alleged remark after being selected at random for a security screening.
Sacramento Bee has the police report:
"At approximately 1400 hrs, a 25-year-old male resident of San Jose, California, was going through Terminal 1 screening and was randomly selected for a secondary screening. The suspect then became belligerent and uncooperative with the process and with the TSA agent, making a comment indicating that he was in possession of a bomb before proceeding towards the gate area. Los Angeles Airport Police made contact with him at the gate and he was positively identified as the person in question. Once again the male subject became uncooperative and he was detained and taken into custody by Airport Police and is currently being transported to LAPD for booking."
Smith, as Deadspin points out, is actually 24, but will be 25 in September. And according to an eyewitness, Aldon was more annoyed than wildly "uncooperative." The Mercury News has more:
Smith, who turns 25 on Aug. 25, was at Gate 6 of Terminal 1 when confronted by several police, who then led Smith away from the Southwest gate, according to eyewitness John Egan of Austin.“I heard him say, ‘I did nothing wrong,’ ” Egans said. “The whole thing ratcheted up from there. The cops were trying to calm him down. He wasn’t out of control; just agitated.”
TMZ obtained footage of Aldon being handcuffed and escorted out of the gate. In it you can see the linebacker professing his innocence with officers before being lead away.
This arrest follows a series of incidents, including a DUI arrest, for the troubled footballer. Last year, after a raucous 2012 party at his San Jose home, Smith pleaded not guilty to illegal possession of an assault weapon.
"We are disappointed to learn of the incident today involving Aldon Smith," 49ers general manager Trent Baalke said in a statement. "As this is a pending legal matter and we are still gathering the pertinent facts, we will have no further comment."